1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to livestock feeders and more specifically to a livestock feeder designed to break away by disassembling to prevent injury to the livestock when the livestock's limbs are caught or otherwise entangled in the feeder.
2. Description of Related Art
There are many types, shapes and sizes of livestock feeders commercially available and in the prior art. They are all basically designed to maximize feeder placement due to spatial constraints, weight distribution for stability of the feeder, and to minimize feed waste issues associated with the dropping of the feed during the feeding process and/or during transport.
There are a number of problems that can be associated with current style feeders designed to be used with livestock such as, for example, horses. Many engaged in animal husbandry, specifically, those who endeavor to feed a horse, other equidae or similar grazing animal while transporting them in a trailer using a hay bag, have experienced the problem of a horse getting its foot tangled in the feed bag. Horses can become entangled in conventional feeders when attempting to jump over the feeder to avoid being kicked or bitten by other more dominant horses. When transporting livestock in trailers, many environmental, mental and physical factors can cause the horse to thrash around the trailer resulting in the horse entangling a limb, leg or foot in the feeder. Because of the weight of the livestock, especially horses, there is no way to unhook the livestock's limbs from conventional feeders. The user/caretaker would have to cut the feeder from around the livestock using a scissors or other cutting instruments, thereby permanently damaging the feeder. Further, if the feeder is not removed from the livestock in a timely manner, injury to the livestock's limbs may result from the entanglement, especially with feeders using hard materials, not capable of automatically breaking away upon entanglement. The legs of a horse, especially the forelegs, are the most common areas of injury and pain. The entire weight of the horse's body is placed upon these thin bones and delicate joints. Tendon damage can also result. There are four (4) main tendon structures in the lower limb of a horse: the superficial digital flexor tendon is the most common area of damage; the deep digital flexor tendon; the inferior check ligament, located just below the back of the knee; the suspensory ligament. Inflamed tendons which can result from entanglement, are at risk of being overstretched. The horse has no muscles below the knee and hock. The tendons are protected by sheaths or tendon bursae. Constant irritation of the sheath will result in edema, or excess fluid buildup. Without proper treatment, such leg injuries resulting from entanglement can result in poor balance, further injury and the inability to concentrate and learn during workouts and training sessions. The ultimate danger is lameness and the possibility of the need of euthanasia.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,195 to Beyers solves this problem by placing their hay feeding case low to the ground. U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,504 to O'Neill recognizes that horses can become entangled in conventional hay feeders and seeks to solve this problem with the height of the cylindrical body of the disclosed round bale hay feeder. These patents seem to be drawn to placement of the feeders to prevent entanglement of a horse's legs thereby preventing injury.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that various embodiments of the present invention have been made.